Blade Singer

by Martha Wells

  Merlin drew himself up, and suddenly the sorcerer looked different. Darkness gathered around him and he looked taller, older. His face seemed thinner, his nose longer and more pointed, the lines of his mouth harsh. As if his features were more animal and less human. He began to speak, words that washed over Manny, full of meaning even though he couldn't understand them.

  I don't want to stay here. I really like Adriana and Etienne and Gaudulfus, but they aren't my family, and this isn't my world. The ache in his heart became overwhelming, so painful it blotted out his vision. He heard the sword begin to hum and felt it vibrate.

  Then Manny was moving. Darkness splashed with swirls of light and color flashed around him. Fear stabbed through him. Then he saw a face, a young sharp-featured face, just like the one he had seen in reflections since he arrived here. But this wasn't a mirror image.

  Remy? For an instant their eyes met and Remy looked startled, then elated, and he smiled and waved. Then he vanished, whirled away in the darkness. If that was Remy going back to his world, Manny thought, then I'm really going...

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  The sound gradually faded, though Manny was still so dizzy his vision was dark and blurred. He realized he was lying in bed. For a moment he thought he was back in his room in the palace. The sword just knocked me out again, he thought, and groaned.

  "Remy? Remy, can you hear me?" a familiar voice asked. A very familiar voice.

  Manny blinked hard and squinted, trying to focus. "Tia Licha?" Abruptly his vision cleared.

  He was lying in bed, but it wasn't his palace room. It was a hospital room, with white walls and a blinking machine just like in the movies. Tia Licha was sitting on the side of the bed, watching him anxiously. Beto stood nearby, and behind him was an older woman and a young girl Manny didn't know, though both looked kind of familiar. Then the girl smiled at him and Manny recognized her; she was in his class at school, the granddaughter of the curandera from their neighborhood Botanica. And the old woman was the curandera herself.

  The smell of antiseptic and floor cleaner hit him. This wasn't a dream. He lifted his hands, staring at them. His hands, smaller and thicker than Remy's. He sat up, staring down at himself. His body, dressed in a thin hospital gown. "It worked," he gasped. "Tia Licha, it's me, Manny. I'm back."

  "Manny? Oh God, Manny!" Tia Licha grabbed him in a smothering hug and covered his face in kisses, crying from relief.

  "Jefe! Welcome back!" Beto patted him on the back in relief and delight. "We were really worried about you."

  Licha suddenly stopped kissing Manny and held his face in her hands. "Wait, is it really you? You're not playing another trick on me, are you?"

  Manny shook his head. "No, no tricks. It's really me, Tia, honestly."

  The curandera got up and limped to his bedside. Taking his chin firmly in her bony hand, she fixed him with a milky-eyed stare. After a few moments, she smiled, gold flashing on her teeth. "It's not Remy, Licha. This is Manny."

  Licha burst into a new round of tears and hugged Manny tightly again. "Ay, mijo, I love you! I missed you so much!"

  Manny closed his eyes and buried his face in the crook of Licha's neck. "I missed you too, Tia Licha," he said. "And I'm really glad to be home."

  ****

  "Don't hurt me! Please, I don't want any trouble!" Gregory put his hands out and backed away from Manny. The two wide-eyed monkey boys stayed behind their friend, looking at Manny like he might sprout fangs.

  Manny continued to hold out the Sony Vita. He had approached the boys at their lockers after the final school bell. Most of the other students in the hall had stopped to stare, but a few of them were smiling and giving Manny enthusiastic thumbs-up.

  Tia Licha had told Manny about some of Remy's exploits. Apparently, he had saved a bunch of people from a terrible fire that had engulfed a city block. That's how he had ended up in a coma at the hospital. After Manny returned to his own body, the police had tried to question him about the fire, but naturally he had no memory of any of those events. The doctors called it "post-traumatic amnesia." But whether he remembered them or not, Remy's actions had made Manny a local celebrity. He'd been invited to appear on several local news stations (and even on a couple of cable networks) to talk about his experience, but so far Manny had refused. Tia Licha had told the reporters that Manny needed to time to heal. Manny just had no intention of trying to make up answers and get himself into trouble. He was done with trouble for a long while.

  But judging by the looks Gregory and his monkey boys were giving him now, Remy hadn't spent all his time here being a hero. And not everyone was a fan.

  "Hey, take it easy," Manny said, only a little surprised by Gregory's alarm. Since returning to school a couple of days ago, he had quickly realized that Remy had cut a path through the place. Everyone's reactions to him had changed. Before, most of the kids had just ignored him. Now they greeted him with either nervous glances or big smiles. He had even gained a new best friend, a shaggy-haired kid with glasses named Oscar who knew more about comic book characters than anyone else Manny had ever met. He seemed pretty cool and Manny was eager to really get to know him.

  Manny glanced around at the sea of faces studying him. Seems like Remy made quite an impression. At least he didn't hurt anybody. Manny sighed at Gregory. "Honest, I just want to return your game. I took it and I'm sorry."

  "You can keep it." Gregory eyed him like he thought this was an elaborate trick. "I don't want it anymore. It's yours!"

  Manny rolled his eyes and walked up to Gregory. The larger boy actually flinched when Manny took his hand and put the game in it. "It's not mine. And I'm not a thief." Not waiting for a response, he turned and walked away.

  The students in the hall parted to let him pass, a few pointing and smiling. One of the ones who smiled at him was Evie, the curandera's granddaughter. She waved at Manny as he went past. Manny gave her a nod, and tried his best to ignore the others, but he couldn't help but walk a bit taller as he pushed the exit doors open.

  Oscar waited outside, his brows raised in anticipation. "Well? Feel better now?"

  "Actually, I do" said Manny, taking a deep breath.

  Oscar fell in beside Manny and the two of them walked down the sidewalk. "Wanna go back to my house? You really gotta check out my X-Men collection. You'll especially love Nightcrawler. He's the coolest."

  "That sounds great, but there's something else I have to do first," said Manny. "How about we make it tomorrow?"

  "Okay, but you're buying the pizza this time."

  Manny grinned. "Deal." The two boys bumped fists.

  Oscar trotted down the sidewalk. "See ya tomorrow, Manster," he called over his shoulder. "Try not to fight any supervillains while I'm gone."

  Manny watched his new friend until he disappeared around the corner.

  ****

  The bell above Beltran's Discount Books jingled when Manny gently pushed the glass door shut behind him. It was warmer in the store than usual, but the dusty air was still familiar. Perhaps not quite so comforting, though. Manny had to stop and take a deep breath. It was strange being inside the place where his journey had started. It all seemed like a story now, like it had happened to someone else and he had just been told about it.

  There weren't any other customers inside. It was early Sunday morning and lots of folks would still be at church. The store didn't usually start to fill up until after lunch. He couldn't spot Mr. Gray anywhere either. That was who Manny had come to see.

  Walking around, Manny scanned the maze of narrow, book-filled corridors. Mr. Gray wasn't at the front counter so he had to be down one of these. Unless he's in the back storeroom, Manny thought. Finally, he spotted Mr. Gray's silver hair near the mystery section. Rounding the corner, he found the clerk shelving a box of books.

  Mr. Gray turned as Manny approached, his salt-and-pepper goatee lifting in a smile as he regarded Manny through gold-framed glasses perched on the end of his nose. "Well, hello again, Mann
y," he said.

  That was a surprise. "You know my name?"

  "Of course I do," replied Mr. Gray. "You've been in the news the past several days. I doubt if there's anyone in the city who doesn't know your name."

  "Oh, right," Manny sighed. "I don't remember much about what happened."

  "I'm surprised to hear that." Mr. Gray shelved a final book then walked over to Manny. "From everything I've heard and read, you're quite a remarkable young man."

  Manny shuffled uncomfortably. "Uh, thanks."

  Mr. Gray studied him. "Is there something I can help you with?"

  "Yeah, actually there is. I was kind of hoping you could tell me what happened that day. You know, the last time I was here." Manny couldn't bring himself to look Mr. Gray in the eyes.

  "Well, let me see," said Mr. Gray, crossing his arms. "The lights went out after that lightning strike. I called out because I heard a thump. When you didn't answer, I looked for you and found you lying on the floor. I couldn't wake you. It was very alarming. I was about to call 911 when you bolted up and scurried out of here faster than a startled rabbit."

  That would have been Remy waking up inside my body. Manny knew how freaked out he had been when he suddenly found himself inside Remy's body in a strange world, and Remy must have felt just the same.

  "Isn't that what you remember?" Mr. Gray lifted his glasses to the top of his head.

  "Like I said, I don't really remember much about what happened that day."

  Mr. Gray nodded. "You might have been in shock. I'm guessing the doctors decided you were well or else you'd still be in the hospital."

  "Yeah, I'm okay," Manny agreed. "But what I was wondering about was whether I had dropped anything. On the floor."

  "You had knocked a few books loose when you fell. And you left your backpack, but I returned that to your aunt."

  "Was there a big, old book? With a faded, red leather cover?"

  Mr. Gray scratched his nose pensively. "Hmm, no, I don't seem to recall any book like that. Just a few paperbacks. I shelved them again, of course."

  "Nothing shiny?" Manny pressed. "Lying nearby?"

  "Shiny?"

  "Like a coin, maybe?" Manny bit his lip.

  Manny met Mr. Gray's gaze. The clerk's pale eyes went dark and cold. It was startling enough for Manny to take a step back. His heart was racing.

  But Mr. Gray smiled. "Come to think of it, I do recall something like that. Follow me." He turned and strode to the front counter. Manny hesitated, then followed him.

  At the counter, Mr. Gray reached into a drawer and pulled out a small wooden box. He slid it across the counter toward Manny. "I believe that's yours." Folding his hands, Mr. Gray raised his eyebrows expectantly.

  Manny picked up the box. His heart was pounding so fast now that he was certain Mr. Gray could hear it, too. He held his breath and popped the box's lid off.

  Inside the box, the golden coin gleamed.

  "Is that what you meant?" said Mr. Gray.

  "Yeah, this is it." Gingerly, Manny took the coin out of the box and studied it. The triskelion on one side and the young man in the laurel wreath on the other were exactly as Manny remembered. The coin seemed warm in his hand. And he couldn't be sure, but it felt like it might have been vibrating ever so slightly. Manny glanced at Mr. Gray as the clerk leaned over the counter and rested on his forearms.

  "That looks very valuable," said Mr. Gray in a low voice. "I'd keep that close if I were you."

  Manny looked at Mr. Gray again. There was something about him, some cold sense of age and presence, that reminded him of Merlin. "Who are you?" Manny demanded.

  Mr. Gray cocked his head. "I'm a friend, Manny. Someone who means to keep an eye on you now that it's clear just how remarkable a young man you truly are." He lowered his glasses back onto his nose. "That's who I am."

  The sense of power vanished and Manny blinked. All of a sudden, Mr. Gray seem ordinary again. Mr. Gray said, "Your parents would have been very proud of you."

  Manny was sure he hadn't imagined the transformation. There was clearly something magical going on here. He said slowly, "You know about my parents?"

  "Yes, they were mentioned in the papers. I'm sorry for your loss. It's clear they were quite remarkable as well." Mr. Gray sounded as if he really meant it.

  Manny nodded. "Yeah, they were pretty cool. The coolest, actually." He put the coin back in the box, replaced the lid, and slipped the box into his pocket.

  "I'd love to hear about them," said Mr. Gray. "If you ever feel like talking."

  Manny glanced up. The clerk was smiling. His face reminded Manny of Etienne's chiseled features, his true features.

  "Or we can just sit here for a while, if you want," added Mr. Gray. "There's no rush, Manny."

  It made Manny remember how much he missed Adriana. "Okay," he said.

  Then, taking a deep breath, Manny began to talk about his mother and father.

  The End

  Special Thanks To:

  Aaron Allston

  Adrianne Middleton

  AKASlaphappy

  Al Clay

  Aldwin Brooks

  Alexander Huy

  Alisha Kloc

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  About the Authors

  Aaron de Orive

  A graduate of the University of Texas' film program, Aaron de Orive began his professional writing career in the video game industry, serving as a lead or senior writer on Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided, Tabula Rasa, Anarchy Online, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. He is also the creator of the fantasy role-playing game SHARD: World of the False Dawn. Blade Singer is his first novel. Aaron lives in Austin with his wife, daughter, and two very spoiled terriers.